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TED-Ed Innovation Project

Everyone in the TED-Ed Innovative Educators cohort delivered a 2-minute innovation project pitch on the TED stage at TED-Ed Weekend in New York City. My project is called [re]imagine (previously named SALT-Ed.) The guiding question is, “What if we could be more like NYU where the classroom is not just a building, but an entire city?” My project idea is to connect our Kamehameha Schools students to the city (specifically to Kakaʻako.) I would like to do this via school clubs, which would be least disruptive to the school day. The two main goals are to 1. Amplify Student Voices, and 2. Provide Authentic Learning Experiences. We’re off to a great start!

Our Entrepreneurship Club was invited to participate in Paʻakai Marketplace (night market) at SALT in Our Kakaʻako. Here is our club president Malia on our state’s number one morning newscast promoting the event and amplifying our student voices.

Here is our booth at the event. Our students sold wire & shell jewelry which they learned how to make in our Creative Metals class at school. Another student is a full-stack web developer who displayed his websites and passed out business cards. It was authentic, real-world learning, and it was a lot of fun.

We are looking to schedule a CPR clinic by our Lifesavers Club and a TED-Ed Club speaking event during the 2nd semester. Imua!

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EdCamp Honolulu

Photo credit @EdTechnocation

It’s been a long-time goal to host an EdCamp event here at Kamehameha. We did it! It was a big success. There were about 90 attendees (educators from public, private, higher-ed, and industry) and a team of a dozen awesome volunteers. It was a great experience to serve on the core planning committee with these inspiring educators.

We are also thankful to our sponsors for monetary contributions and in-kind donations.

Photo credit @Bytemarks

An EdCamp is an “unconference.” There are no scheduled presenters. Instead, participants come with their ideas & suggestions and are in charge of their own learning.

In the age where most content can be accessed online, the value of these events is in making connections. Many friendships were made which will hopefully lead to more collaborations in the future.

Photo credit @WendyLOliver

Very happy with the day, and proud to be a part of an amazing team!

Follow the conversation on Twitter at hashtag #EdCampHI.

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Punahou Global Educator Strand

Blessed to have participated in Punahou School’s SGLI Educator Strand. It was an amazing experience! I was able to connect with colleagues (and develop lifelong friendships) from around the world.

Dr. James Scott presented the concept to us on Day 1. Q: “What if we took the top students from the top schools from around the world and brought them together in a residency program to work on global issues?” This is the Student Global Leadership Institute (SGLI.)

I took part in the educator strand. Our first activity was to introduce ourselves with a dance or movement. It took a while, but it was a great icebreaker activity.

We each shared our school’s mission statement with one another.

On Day 2, we Skyped in Dr. Yong Zhao. He spoke about the transformation of schools. He mentioned student voice & choice, authentic products & services, and having a global perspective. It was stimulating and inspiring.

My table group consisted of Jennifer and Jeffie from different schools in Shanghai, Shusaku from Tokyo, Tom from Philly, and Karin from Denmark.

That evening, we had the SGLI Lūʻau at Dr. Scott’s home. We were able to meet up with the amazing students. One student who introduced herself to me was from Sidwell Friends in D.C. and knew the Obama girls.

My new friend Hae Jean from Korea has studied hula for 5 years. She did a great job at the SGLI Talent Show. It was neat to see how passionate people feel towards Hawaiian culture. Another great friend is Roddy (from Canada) who teaches in Tokyo. He dazzled us with his jazz ukulele. (Can’t believe that I don’t have a selfie with him.)

Unfortunately, tropical storm Darby made landfall on Sunday. However, I saw the most amazing Facebook post on that day (there is a private SGLI Group on Facebook.) This is from a student from Japan who celebrated her birthday….

She received handmade cards and cupcakes from her team members. Heartwarming stuff for sure….

The highlight of Day 3 was actually the evening’s aforementioned SGLI Talent Show. There were great singers, dancers, and pianists. This pic is of calligraphy as a “talent show act.” Strangely, everyone rushed the stage to have their names written in katakana….

Day 4 was my last day. Sob….

Here is a pic of some of the amazing students sharing their SGLI experiences. They carried themselves well and answered all of our questions.

By this time, many of the teachers had bonded and formed relationships. Nats from Kyoto shared her Japanese snacks with the class. Lisa from Castle High School also brought chocolate macnuts for our visitors.

Roddy’s Globe Cinema project.

Jenn’s Biodiversity project.

We were able to attend a presentation from Punahou students who participated in SGLI @ Oakridge International School in Hyderabad, India. I was able to reconnect with my Punahou Lab School buddy, Lorelei.

After our session, I took a few teachers on a brief tour of the Kamehameha Schools campus. I got to hear cool stories about Castilleja in Palo Alto from Jamie and Phillips Exeter in New Hampshire from Tanya.

Then it was time to say goodbye. This is my new friend Shu from Tokyo.

Most of the teachers have chaperone responsibilities until the end of the week. For some of us with no participating students, it was the end of our conference experience. One of my takeaways is to participate in an ongoing PLN with Usha from India and Jamie from Palo Alto.

So happy that I was able to meet up with former KS students Mehana & Emma.

Finally, my biggest takeaway was the friendships that I formed at SGLI. Mahalo to Chai, Wendi, Robyn, Usha, and team for an amazing experience. SGLI has become my PD of choice for the school year. See you next time at #SGLI2017….